Metro determines person of interest not connected to homicide, carjacking

By Brian Nordli

Published Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 | 1:50 p.m.

Updated Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 | 4:59 p.m.

Metro Police located a person of interest thought to be connected with a homicide and a carjacking after a police pursuit, and they have determined he was not involved in either incident.

Metro Homicide detectives began investigating the homicide Friday afternoon, when a man was found dead inside an abandoned apartment in the 4400 block of Jimmy Durante Boulevard. Preliminary investigation indicated that there were several persons of interest and potential witnesses who have facts surrounding his death, police said.

Metro Patrol Officers came across one person of interest attempting to rob a home Saturday morning while in the area of the homicide, police said. Officers chased the man over a wall and into a nearby residential neighborhood.

Once there, the person of interest threatened a woman in her car with a long knife and stole her vehicle, police said. The carjacking victim was uninjured and the man escaped from officers.

Police believed the person of interest was a man known as DJ, whom people had identified as a possible person of interest in the homicide, but after interviewing him on Sunday about both incidents, police determined he was not the suspect from the carjacking.

Police are still searching for the man suspected in the carjacking.

The suspected carjacker is described as a 25- to 28-year-old black man. He stands between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8 with a medium build and a missing front tooth. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored knit cap, dark-colored hoodie and dark pants.

The stolen car is described as a silver 2006 Toyota Scion four-door hatchback with Nevada license plates 535-RWZ.

Police urge anyone with information regarding DJ or his whereabouts to contact Metro Homicide at 828-3521, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 385-5555 or online at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.